Column: Returning to Clermont Senior Services

Cindy Gramke Community Press guest columnist

I have always believed that circumstances come full circle. And, now I've come full circle to introduce myself as the "returning" writer of the Caring and Sharing Column. Returning because I wrote the column for 14 years after its original writer, Bob Proud, became a Clermont County Commissioner in 1984. Some may not be aware that Bob worked for Clermont Senior Services and still remains an advocate and friend of Clermont Senior Services and, certainly, the older adults in our community.

And, now, the most recent familiar face you've seen under the Caring & Sharing Column since she assumed that role from me in 1998, Linda Eppler, has done what so many of us work toward, and that is she has retired to spend quality time with her husband and family. I'm pleased to serve, again, as the voice for the Caring and Sharing column and to return to the Community Press family of contributors.

I first came to Clermont Senior Services when I was 25 in 1983, where I worked for 15 years before leaving for 11 years, but still actively involved with my role on the Board of Directors for eight of those 11 years, and then returned as staff in 2008. Stop! Don't do any calculations! But, I will say that I am a Trailing-Edge or Late Bloomer Baby Boomer. And, my personal circumstances of balancing family, work and community, reflect a typical profile for my female counter-part Late Bloomer Boomers.

A baby boomer is a person who was born during the Post World War II baby boom between the years 1946 and 1964, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The Leading-Edge Baby Boomers are individuals born between 1946 and 1955, those who came of age during the Vietnam War era. According to Wikipedia (the use of which is another tell-tale sign of a Late Bloomer Boomer), this group represents slightly more than half of the generation, or roughly 38,002,000 people of all races. The first baby boomer turned 60 on January 1, 2006. Who knew that the radical and free love generation of the Woodstock era would now be potentially eligible for services for seniors?

The other half of the generation was born between 1956 and 1964. Called Late Bloomer Boomers, or Trailing-Edge Boomers, this second cohort, of which I am one, includes about 37,818,000 individuals, according to Live Births by Age and Mother and Race, 1933-98, published by the Center for Disease Control's National Center for Health Statistics

And the closer I get to crossing the 60 line, I've noticed that I not only recognize, but I relate to certain terms of aging, and these terms not only have relevance, but they evoke emotion. All of a sudden, we boomers begin hearing and relating to aging in place, the sandwich generation, caregiving for a parent, getting your house in order, target date fund, healthy aging, home access design, Medicare, Social Security (or, the ultimate worry about the lack thereof), and the always present acronyms that we are finally, by necessity, figuring out, such as DNR, No CPR, DNAR, AND orders, as well as, DMEs, ADLs and IADLs. The list grows as each one of us considers the future for ourselves and/or for aging loved ones for whom we make decisions and provide for care.

Whether we are planning for our personal future or for those we love, aging is certain, and the alternative is bleak. Arming ourselves with information and beginning to plan is a strength that all of us, as boomers, do very well. Whether you're a boomer or beyond, I welcome your readership and look forward to sharing information that will help you navigate your way through the many issues that affect seniors in Clermont County.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Email this article

Column: Returning to Clermont Senior Services

I have always believed that circumstances come full circle. And, now I've come full circle to introduce myself as the 'returning' writer of the Caring and Sharing Column.